Pasta Preparation Tips

Tips on Making Homemade Pasta

• Strengthen your homemade pasta dough by substituting ½ cup or less of semolina flour in place of an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
• If the pasta becomes sticky at any point while working with the dough, dust it lightly with flour. Also, dust the equipment you are working with, such as the rolling pin or the rollers in the pasta machine, to prevent the dough from sticking.
• When putting pasta strips through a rolling machine to thin the dough, if the strips become long and hard to handle, cut the strips in half to make them easier to handle.
• Allowing the pasta dough to dry for approximately 15 minutes before cutting will result in cleaner cuts.
• Drying the cut pasta noodles or shapes for 15 minutes or more before cooking will allow the pasta to firm up a little and prevent the pasta from sticking together when cooking.
• Save the trimmings when cutting pasta noodles or shapes, press the trimmings together, reroll, and cut additional noodles or shapes.
• When making stuffed pasta, work as quickly as possible to prevent the pasta dough from drying out and becoming difficult to work with, and to prevent problems with the pasta sealing properly